Possible 5.4 Stutter
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Joined: Jun 2009
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Possible 5.4 Stutter
I have a 1999 5.4l f-150. It only has 187,000 miles on it
. It has ran great since it has been in the family (bought it from my father). Had a check engine light come on a while back when it started mis-firing. Had the code pulled, it said, bad plugs. Changed the spark plugs. Check engine light comes back upon it starting again. Take it to a mechanic, he says, bad coil wires on the back left coil. He replaces them.
The check engine light has gone but still had a slight stutter, or hesitation, he said its due to bad plug boots. I changed all of them, and on the same cylinder as the most fouled plug, and the bad coil wires, it has some kind of gel-like gunk. It now runs MUCH better, but occasionaly at low throttle it still has a stutter. Does not seem to be the transmission because it does it in every gear. Also has a strong fuel smell.
Any ideas of what could possibly be wrong? Would like to avoid the mechanic or stealership because I'm damn near broke.
. It has ran great since it has been in the family (bought it from my father). Had a check engine light come on a while back when it started mis-firing. Had the code pulled, it said, bad plugs. Changed the spark plugs. Check engine light comes back upon it starting again. Take it to a mechanic, he says, bad coil wires on the back left coil. He replaces them.The check engine light has gone but still had a slight stutter, or hesitation, he said its due to bad plug boots. I changed all of them, and on the same cylinder as the most fouled plug, and the bad coil wires, it has some kind of gel-like gunk. It now runs MUCH better, but occasionaly at low throttle it still has a stutter. Does not seem to be the transmission because it does it in every gear. Also has a strong fuel smell.
Any ideas of what could possibly be wrong? Would like to avoid the mechanic or stealership because I'm damn near broke.
Retired Aerospace
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,324
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From: Edgewater, Florida
What Ignition?
Does your engine have COP (Coil-On-Plug) or two ignition coils and plug wires? I ask because the cause of misfires in trucks with high mileage is almost always due to worn-out plug wires. 
Fuel odor would have me looking hard for a leak somewhere or checking the evaporative emission system for proper operation.
Unfortunately for many of us being broke is common, particulary since that gang of school-boys has taken over in D.C.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Jun 2009
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Coil on plug.
It was also starting hard, like it was slightly starved for fuel on startup. But in the past two days, its starting right up, and the fuel smell has diminished to the point where I can't seem to notice it.
Unfortunately the hesitation/stutter hasn't seemed to have gone away. I think once I get my first paycheck Monday I'm going to try changing the coil on that one cylinder that had all the gunk in the boot, and that had the most fouled plug, see if that doesn't clear things up.
It was also starting hard, like it was slightly starved for fuel on startup. But in the past two days, its starting right up, and the fuel smell has diminished to the point where I can't seem to notice it.
Unfortunately the hesitation/stutter hasn't seemed to have gone away. I think once I get my first paycheck Monday I'm going to try changing the coil on that one cylinder that had all the gunk in the boot, and that had the most fouled plug, see if that doesn't clear things up.
